Sewage soaks coffee shop in horror pipe break

The son of a Sydney coffee king has brought an end to an era by walking away from his own coffee shop after burst pipes in the building showered his shop with sewage.

Luigi Coluzzi Jr's father, an Italian boxing champion and barista who immigrated from Rome to Australia in the 1950s, established Bar Coluzzi in the harbour-side city and set about introducing tea-drinking Australians to the joys of coffee.

Bar Coluzzi became the centre of the Sydney universe, with customers both famous and infamous.

Luigi Coluzzi Jr and wife Tatiana have walked away from their coffee shop. (A Current Affair)

Luigi Jr learned how to box and how to run the business under his father's guidance, and he and his wife Tatiana opened more Bar Coluzzis.

They told A Current Affair things were going well until they took out a lease next door to a function centre in downtown Sydney.

Luigi and Tatiana soon realised their cafe was treated like a thoroughfare by people going to and from the function centre.

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"They would be coming through from the gym and they would be wet and sticky and they would actually run through the shop. They would knock over customers and not apologise."

A burst toilet pipe on a higher floor also sent sewage through the ceiling of the Bar Coluzzi.

"I said, I refuse to serve anybody any food until it's completely fixed and sanitised, the whole shop," Luigi said.

"I refuse to cook anything on there."

Luigi Coluzzi Sr started the Bar Coluzzi brand in Sydney. (A Current Affair)

Landlord, the Cromwell Property Group, said in a statement they acknowledged the situation with the burst pipe was unacceptable, and that Luigi was "immediately offered compensation" while repairs were undertaken in a "timely manner".

However, this followed arguments about what the substance leaking through the ceiling actually was.

Tatiana said she had even put a sample in a tupperware container in case their claims were denied.

The couple wanted to get out of the lease and sought to recover the $250,000 they had sunk into the venture, but Cromwell Group would not budge.

Bar Coluzzi customers have included famous faces like Russell Crowe. (A Current Affair)

Cromwell told A Current Affair the request to surrender the lease was rejected as it would have contravened the terms of the agreement.

After 20 months, the stress took its toll. Luigi was treated for depression and the couple walked away from the cafe.

The Bar Coluzzi franchise lives on, but Luigi's decision to shut his cafe brings an end to 60 years of history.

Tatiana collected a sample of the sewage. (A Current Affair)

Now, there's no longer Coluzzi flesh and blood involved in the coffee icon.

"Little guys like us that work our hearts out, that built up a business, do the right thing and get treated like absolute dirt by these people, and I've got no recourse," Luigi said.